fbpx

10 Questions With: What If Football

1. What Inspired you to start podcasting?

I think about football to probably an excessive extent, so my inspiration was channeling that into constructive discussion, with a nostalgic slant.

2. Do you have a favourite episode of your podcast?

I don’t have a single episode but any episode of the Noughties Nostalgia Podcast where I ask my Twitter followers and it engages a conversation which I can relay onto the podcast.

3. Who is your dream guest?

Sir Alex Ferguson.

4. Favourite Podcast to listen to? (That isn’t yours)

Football Cliches, purely for the comedy, or Price of Football – to expand my knowledge on something I know little about.

5. Who are your top 5 Players of all time?

The best ever? Messi, Ronaldo, Maradona, Cruyff, Pele.

My favourites? Scholes, Ronaldo, Beckham, Rooney, Zidane.

6. Who are the up and coming stars we should be looking out for at your club?

Hannibal Mejbri will be an absolute star in 5 years’ time.

7.  How would you describe your podcast in three words?

Nostalgic, hopefully knowledgeable.

8. Favourite underdog moment?

Has to be Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2016.

9.  Apart from Football, are there any other sports you are interested in?

Football is so incessant and abundant that I don’t have any – unless you can count watching 90s/00s wrestling, which you can’t.

10.  At what age did you become a fan of your club and was there a moment that solidified your interest?

August 1998, when I realised that my favourite player from the World Cup – David Beckham – played for Manchester United. I learned this from reading a Match! magazine. I can remember the edition showing United drawing their first two games so I can’t even say I was hunting glory because I was 5 and hadn’t a clue who Manchester United were!

10 Questions with: Snooker Scene

1. What Inspired you to start podcasting?

There wasn’t a snooker podcast and I thought there should be one. I thought I was well placed to do it as I was on the circuit and had access to people in the sport.

2. Do you have a favourite episode of your podcast?

Probably the best guest I’ve had on was Neil Robertson. I’d arranged to speak to him after his first match at the Champion of Champions but he unexpectedly lost and I assumed he would be heading home. Instead, he agreed to do it and spoke to me for 70 minutes, talking very eloquently about every aspect of his career. Very classy guy.

3. Who is your dream guest?

It would’ve been great to have had the chance to interview Joe Davis, the first world champion who started professional snooker. It would be fascinating to know what he would think of the way snooker has become a frontline TV sport.

4. Favourite Podcast to listen to? (That isn’t yours)

The first one I ever subscribed to is still my favourite: Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode’s Film Review on Radio 5 Live.

5. Who are your top 5 Players of all time?

I’m going to cheat here and name six because I don’t want to leave out any of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Steve Davis, Mark Williams and Mark Selby. In the modern era, these are the six greats because they are all multi-times winners of the biggest events.

6. Who are the up and coming stars we should be looking out for?

There are some Chinese players who have great talent and drive, such as Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize. I would also like to see some young British talent coming through. There’s Jackson Page from Wales, who is mentored by Mark Williams, and could be one to watch.

7. How would you describe your podcast in three words?

Right on cue.

8. Favourite underdog moment?

Joe Johnson, who I now commentate with on Eurosport, winning the 1986 World Championship remains a remarkable achievement. More recently, Jordan Brown, who’d been working in a petrol station two years earlier, beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Welsh Open final. That was an amazing story.

9. Apart from Snooker, are there any other sports you are interested in?

My other main sporting interest is cricket, mainly Test cricket.

10. At what age did you become a fan of Snooker and was there a moment that solidified your interest?

I grew up in the 1980s and snooker was everywhere, not just tournaments on TV but in the culture. Snooker players would be on chat shows, entertainment programmes etc, and everyone knew them, so it would have been more unusual at that time to not be interested in snooker. My other passion was writing and by going into journalism I was able to join the snooker circuit and become part of the sport.

10 Questions With: The Unholy Trinity

1. What Inspired you to start podcasting?

The reason for setting the show up was because we think we talk a bit of sense when it comes to our own club and are balanced in our approach. Too much of the sport media nowadays is reactive and we wanted to remain as calm as possible and not create something to solely cause outrage and for likes. With the poor coverage of clubs outside of the “Sky” 6, we also thought it important to create a something that discusses Everton, without the nonsense of centralised pundits with their own agenda.

2. Do you have a favourite episode of your podcast?

For us, we never take for granted the opportunity that we have created and that continues, because people enjoy the show and listen each week, so every show is important and special in its own way.

One that sticks out, is our most recent spin off show – Trinity B Side – Racism In Football, with Kick It Out’s, Troy Townsend. We feel we have a great platform to not only discuss Everton, but also the issues that impact football, and racism, is unfortunately, one of those. Troy spoke candidly about his own personal experiences of racism in the sport and the work he does on a daily basis supporting players and highlighting the serious issue we have and what needs to be done in the way of punishments. It was exceptionally eye opening and emotionally charged.

3. Who is your dream guest?

The three of us will have different opinions, I’m sure, but seen as I’m replying (Mike), I’ll have to go with Duncan Ferguson. He’s an iconic figure at the club and someone who is the epitome of what it means to be an Evertonian. His passion and energy is something that resonates, plus his time as a player, coach and caretaker manager, is something I’d love to discuss with him. Some say the club is too romantic and that may well be the case, but this man will manage the club in the near future and will deserve to get his opportunity.

4. Favourite Podcast to listen to? (That isn’t yours)

Prior to starting our show, I never really listened to any, but it’s certainly something I like to do on a daily basis now. My current favourites are Tony Bellew Is Angry, The James English Podcast and also No Passion, No Point. Anything involving sport and I’ll throw it on.

5. Who are your top 5 Players of all time?

I’ve got to base it on players I’ve seen play, so that rules out anyone before the 1980’s

If we are talking Everton, then I’ll go – Southall, Baines, Kanchelskis, Fellaini and Lukaku – that’s a decent 5-a-side outfit that

In terms of any player in world football (again, I’ve has to have seen them) – Zidane, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo (Brazilian), Thierry Henry and Messi

6. Who are the up and coming stars we should be looking out for at your club?

To be honest, I think we’ve struggled to develop players in recent years and that’s something the club are (hopefully) addressing. The one player everyone will see more of this season, is Anthony Gordon. Over the last few games, he’s been getting more game time, but more importantly, he’s impacting games. A big season for him and one I’m sure he’ll grasp with both hands.

7.  How would you describe your podcast in three words?

For the fans.

8. Favourite underdog moment?

I’ve got to go back to the 1995 FA Cup Final. We weren’t given a chance against a strong Man Utd side. That Everton side proved there’s a lot to be said for togetherness and spirit. Wouldn’t mind a few of those lads on the pitch now. Rightly named “The Dogs of War”.

9.  Apart from Football, are there any other sports you are interested in?

A bit of everything really. Cricket and golf the two outside of football that I watch fairly regularly.

10. At what age did you become a fan of your club and was there a moment that solidified your interest?

Attended my first match at the age of 5 and its been love ever since. There isn’t one moment that solidified it. Once you go, you’re hooked. The ground, the players the fallout, the ecstasy – its unique and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Once Everton has touched you…